Verona News

After months of hard work and preparation, the fun is about to start. The Verona Cattail
Festival features two days of outstanding music on stage - 14 electrifying bands. But wait,
there's a lot more. A Classic Cars Show, Red Green Duct Tape Boat Races, Marketplace
vendors, free Kids Crafts all day, interactive Cameron's Cattail Centre, children's
entertainment and rides, lots of food and the list goes on. This will be an exciting two days
for the whole family.

The Festival starts off with a Parade, Saturday, August 9 starting at 10 am. Highway 38 will
be closed off to all vehicular traffic (from the north end of Verona to Verona Sand Road)
from 10 am to 10:20 am. Arrive early to get a good viewing spot for the parade. There will
be bleachers set up along Verona Sand Road at the Lions Centre for viewers to watch the
parade enter the festival location. Don't let the crazy weather this summer keep you from
the festival. The Verona Cattail Festival is a "Rain or Shine" festival. The Festival venue at
the Lions Club Centre provides plenty of protection in the case of rain and the shows will go
on.

The whole village is involved this weekend. On Saturday, August 9, the Verona Free
Methodist Church will have a Pancake Breakfast (by donation) at the Free Methodist
Church from 7:30 am to 9 am. Trinity United Church will hold their Fish Fry that evening
from 5 pm to 7 pm. (Adults $ 14, children $6). On Sunday, August 11 there will be an
Ecumenical Service on the Festival grounds starting at 10 am. This year it will be a special
service designed for children's participation. This will be followed by the gospel music of
Vocal Legacy.

A new "fun for the whole family" event this year is the Family Contra Dancing, which will
take place in the Lions Centre on Sunday, August 10 at noon. Contra dancing is similar to
other forms of traditional dancing such as square dancing or ceili dancing. The caller leads
the dance by first walking the participants through the dance step-by-step so they
understand it, and then calls the dance as the music plays. It's repetitive, so it comes quite
easily (children love it.) It's a lot of fun for all ages

Make sure you visit the Cattail Centre on Saturday and see the booth that celebrates the
cattails. You will discover how versatile the cattail is, from food to clothing to crafts to
stuffing for mattresses, the cattail has and does it all. Our festival is named "Cattail"
because of this versatility, "our festival has something for everyone."

The Verona Cattail Festival is a Verona Community Association event. All proceeds from
the festival go back into the community to sponsor free events such as Christmas for Kids,
Christmas in the Village, the Music in the Park Concerts, Family Fishing Day and the
Flower Barrel Competition.

This is the weekend you have been waiting for. Bring the family and enjoy the Verona
Cattail Festival!

Debbie Lingen

For more information about Verona, Ontario please contact:
Debbie Lingen